Movie Review: “K-11”

Kristen Stewart's mom makes her directorial debut.

*** ½ out of 5

89 minutes

Breaking Glass Pictures

Article first published as Movie Review: K-11 on Blogcritics.

I was first asked if I wanted a screener for the film K-11 — debut of Jules Stewart (yes, Kristen’s mom) — back in January during Sundance. Buried beneath a barrage of Festival emails, I had completely forgotten about it.

Then when the Sundance dust finally settled I was asked again and thought, “Sure, why not?” After reading that The Hollywood Reporter had called it “a deranged John Waters remake of The Shawshank Redemption,” I have to admit it made me even more interested. While it comes close to that moniker, it never really goes as overboard as Mr. Waters surely would have taken the idea — even if it still plays out like a homophobe’s worst nightmare.

Record producer Raymond Saxx Jr. (Goran Visnjic) has just been booked for homicide, but is so drunk and doped up that he can barely sit up straight. Sgt. Johnson (D.B. Sweeney) talks the clerk into letting him take Saxx off his hands and it’s off to the titular K-11 lock up. K-11 is a section of the L.A. County Jail reserved for homosexuals.

Saxx finally comes around in a cell next to Butterfly (Portia Doubleday) who may not be able to help him find a fix, but knows how to make use of toilet paper to warm him up. After getting thrown in with the rest of the inmates, Saxx learns that everyone is ruled by the one and only Mousey (Kate del Castillo). Her number one man is Ben (Jason Mewes), and along with Sgt. Johnson they run the roost with a little drug trafficking to boot. Now Saxx has to wait out to hear from his wife’s lawyer C.R. (P.J. Byrne) to strike a deal clearing his name while wading through the group of homosexuals, transgenders, and child molesters until he can get out.

Director Stewart makes the most of her cast, especially Castillo as Mousey. She’s a force to be reckoned with. While Kevin Smith may have been the only person before who could make Mewes hilarious in his role as Jay against his Silent Bob, Stewart pulls an actual performance out of him. Maybe it’s his limited screentime, but here he works better than he has in anything in a long time. Sweeney seems to relish playing the bad guy while Visnjic makes Saxx a believable victim in the wrongfully accused role. Stewart and co-writer Jared Kurt have some fun with their script; never letting things get too over the top or overdramatic – but not without some fun campiness thrown in – and the comeuppances are well deserved. An inmate fashion show manages to give Zoolander’s “Derelicte” line a run for its money. While K-11 may not be a film for everyone, those looking for an unusually entertaining art-house film have something new to seek out.

Photo courtesy Breaking Glass Pictures

Blu-ray Review: “Muay Thai Warrior”

Don't let the title fool ya, this ain't no Ong Bak.

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Muay Thai Warrior on Blogcritics.

While I may love martial arts films, the good ones seem to be getting harder to find. Home video distributor Well Go USA is hell bent on becoming the next Dragon Dynasty, which also released a glut of these films in the late 2000s to varying degrees. For every winner, there are at least a few losers. Unfortunately, they can’t all be Tai Chi Zero. Which brings us to Muay Thai Warrior.

The cover art boasts a blurb about the film being “The Last Samurai meets Ong Bak.” Although the film may have some Muay Thai boxing sprinkled throughout the excruciating 101 minute runtime, this is definitely neither Last Samurai nor Ong Bak.

The plot is of course secondary to the “action,” but Muay Thai Warrior tells the tale of Yamada (Seigi Ozeki) who is brought to the village of Ayathaya by Khaam (Thanawut Ketsaro) after an attack by Japanese warriors. Yamada is healed by Phra Khruu (Sorapong Chatree) because he has healed dying animals so how could he let a human die? Yamada may know a thing or two about his own martial arts, but he wants to learn the art of Muay Thai boxing. It’s not until an attack upon their leader prompts the action to finally kick in (along with some questionable CGI) that anything really even happens. Up until that point, Yamada is continually beaten up by Khaam and mocked with the name “white face” by a young village girl.

If the pacing doesn’t kill your interest while suffering through Muay Thai Warrior, the lack of action and the resulting use of CGI will. If they had the money to spend on these so-called “effects,” they probably have spent even less on proper practical effects. Instead we’re treated to a repetitious script that keeps hammering the same mantra over and over when all we came for was the action.

I know that some films use a good plot to make the fight scenes feel necessary, but here the screenplay is so thin that’s all we’re left waiting for and when it finally comes, what a letdown. I know this being a foreign production one’s expectations shouldn’t be too high in the acting department, but what a bore Ozeki turns out to be. He’s no Tony Jaa and even he wasn’t the most charismatic actor to begin with. But what Jaa lacked in the acting department he more than made up for in sheer brutality.

Muay Thai Warrior comes to Blu-ray in a supposedly 1080p presentation framed at 1.85:1. How anyone could consider this high-def is beyond me. Especially after watching the preceding trailers for the films also coming soon from Well Go USA (Kill ‘Em All, The Assassins, and Tai Chi Zero). They look way better than any given moment of the entirety of Muay Thai Warrior. Crush? You got it. Banding? You bet. Oversaturation? No problem!

I watched a DVD screener for another film directly after this and there’s no way you’d ever guess that Muay Thai Warrior is a high-def release. Everything on screen is murky and soft. This is doubtfully the fault of Well Go USA. I’m sure the film elements were out of their hands. Especially considering later that night I popped in the Blu-ray for Tai Chi Zero. Now that’s a proper Blu-ray presentation.

The sound doesn’t fare any better, but it’s at least better than the video. The Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio in 5.1 may be rather rear heavy, but at least there’s some activity going on. You’d think they could have made the film look better than they have even being hampered with a 25GB disc when the only special feature is the film’s trailer.

The final word here is to skip Muay Thai Warrior altogether. The troubled video could have easily been overlooked had the film been even remotely entertaining. It’s definitely not worth spending the money on a purchase, and even paying $1 at Redbox is iffy. Well Go USA has too many better films at their disposal from what I’ve heard of their other releases, and seen firsthand in Tai Chi Zero (a brilliantly overactive hybrid of Kung Fu Hustle meets Scott Pilgrim by way of steam punk). Seek out one of their other releases instead, there’s nothing you haven’t seen here before and done way better.

Cover art courtesy Well Go USA

Movie Review: “Oz the Great and Powerful”

Not quite an instant classic, but as worthy a prequel as we're ever gonna get.

**** out of 5

130 minutes

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language

Walt Disney Pictures

Article first published as Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful on Blogcritics.

Oh, Sam Raimi. It’s always so nice to see you behind the cameras again, and even you’re allowed a fluff piece here and there. After tackling three mega-budgeted Spider-Man films you got to return to the place you’re most at home with Drag Me to Hell. Now you’ve been whisked back to the land of CGI to moderate success with Disney’s prequel Oz the Great and Powerful. With a set full of lawyers making sure you don’t step on the ruby-slippered toes of Warner Bros. (who have sole rights to the original Wizard of Oz), you still managed to make the film Tim Burton should have with Alice in Wonderland, bringing to life a whole new Land of Oz based on the works of L. Frank Baum.

Oz the Great and Powerful refers to Oz (James Franco) himself of course, working as a magician in a traveling circus. His assistant Frank (Zach Braff) works hard to keep their illusions chugging along even so far as to using visible wires in the act that get called out by the crowd’s skeptics (Ted Raimi). Oz is about to face a few personal disasters of his own today when Annie (Michelle Williams) shows up to tell him she’s been asked by John Gale (Dorothy’s last name was Gale) for her hand in marriage but wants his advice on the situation — she’s obviously in love with him. Oz turns her away only to face the wrath of the circus Strongman (Tim Holmes) after finding one of Oz’s signature music boxes he gives to all the ladies. All this happens just as a twister shows up and Oz escapes via hot air balloon only to get swept right up into the tornado.

Before you can say “there’s no place like home,” he crashes into the not-so-merry Land of Oz and meets Theodora (Mila Kunis) on the riverbank. She is certain that he is the prophesized wizard destined to save the land from the wicked witch and become their king. Theodora escorts Oz to the Emerald City where her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) isn’t so sure about their newfound hero. Evanora shows Oz all the treasures that could be his (including but not limited to a golden chalice). First he must find the wicked witch’s wand and destroy it to kill the wicked witch and free the Land of Oz from her tyranny. Along the way he meets up with a flying monkey named Finley (voiced by Braff) who swears his mortal allegiance after Oz saves his from being eaten by a lion, a tiny China Girl (voiced by Joey King) who demands to help kill the wicked witch to avenge the destruction of her home in China Town, and Glinda (Williams again) who really is good.

There’s a lot missing that Disney didn’t have the rights to that could have helped Oz the Great and Powerful. No ruby slippers or Harold Arlen’s witch’s theme to be found here. The Munchkins may get a throwaway song, but it’s not at the expense of Oz cutting them short. Audiences may need to check their expectations at the door, just not too much. Raimi, along with screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, have enough references to Victor Fleming’s original to appease the masses; not to mention plenty of references even to Raimi’s own body of work. The biggest problem is the film’s rating. Stuck with a family-friendly PG, there are plenty of tone issues.

The 3D is put to great use, particularly in the opening scenes before we get to Oz. Filmed in the old school 1.33:1 ratio centering the onscreen action leaving the black bars along the side to be filled with all kinds of gimmicks. We also get treated to some very Raimi-esque camera and editing tricks courtesy Peter Deming (Evil Dead II, Drag Me to Hell) and Bob Murawski (Army of Darkness, The Gift, all three Spider-Mans, and Drag Me to Hell). Thankfully, Danny Elfman returns after swearing he would never score another of Raimi’s films after Spider-Man 2. Even Bruce Campbell makes his requisite cameo.

The best advice is to take what we can get and go with the flow. It’s doubtful a better prequel could have been made under the scrutiny of the law and it really is a fun adventure even if it is a little too long at 130 minutes. We’ve waited a long time for a true return to Oz (the disastrous “sequel” notwithstanding) and audiences are surely going to eat up Oz the Great and Powerful.

Photos courtesy Walt Disney Pictures

Blu-ray Reviews: “Zombie Lake” and “Oasis of the Zombies”

One of these movies is better than the other.

Article first published as Blu-ray Reviews: Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies on Blogcritics.

The names Jean Rollin and Jess Franco are pretty much synonymous with Euro sleaze, just as their film titles alone tell you exactly what kind of film you’re in for. Here’s a taste: Sex Charade, Vampyros Lesbos, Diary of a Nymphomaniac, Swedish Nympho Slaves, Rape of the Vampire, The Nude Vampire, Caged Virgins, Curse of the Living Dead, Lips of Blood, Hard Penetration — they both even have an Emmanuelle film on their resume. So it should come as no surprise that at some point the two would team up for a couple of zombie films. However, each bring their own flare to the proceedings with Rollin directing the far more titillating Zombie Lake and Franco trying to class up the joint with way too much story in Oasis of the Zombies, both now available via Kino Lorber’s Redemption line of Blu-rays.

In Zombie Lake, small town Mayor (Howard Vernon) is dealing with a case of the undead rising from their cursed lake the townsfolk have named “Lake of the Damned.” The Mayor calls in a pair of investigators after a young honey badger skinny dipper (she don’t give a shit as she points out when she takes down the warning sign at the lake), a local girl, and a group of skinny dipping volleyball girls(!) go missing into the lake. Katya (Marcia Sharif) comes to town as well and everyone must face the fact that during Nazi occupied France, a bunch of soldiers were thrown into the lake. Meanwhile, one of the soldiers had a literal roll in the hay with a town girl after he saved her life, later birthing the young Helena (Anouchka) and her mother dying afterward. Lots of flashbacks reveal that the soldiers are the cursed zombies and Helena just may be their only hope.

Oasis of the Zombies follows a similar pattern as we are introduced to two nubile daisy duke clad teens wandering the desert. When they stop to check out a convoy, the music and girls are blaring as they are attacked by off-camera monsters. During a huge flashback sequence, we learn that a soldier named Blabert (Javier Maiza) was rescued from a desert attack, losing $6 million in gold, and brought to see a Sheik (Antonio Mayans) where he impregnates his daughter out in the desert. Now Blabert’s hilariously named son, Robert Blabert (Manuel Gélin) comes to town searching for the lost gold along with some of his friends, including a tagalong named Sylvie (the clearly hired for her legs - and that’s okay - Caroline Audret). Now, everyone is in search for the gold but must first come face to face with some rather nicely made up zombies, while Robert finally learns the truth about dear old dad.

Zombie Lake comes framed at a ratio of 1.64 while Oasis of the Zombies measures in at 1.65, and I doubt either could ever look better. Zombie Lake fares far superior, but both come with the expected hairs, scratches, and white specks. Since they have both been remastered from 35mm elements, a lot of the runtime of both films look really good. A lot of Zombie Lake even looks like a brand new film with incredible detail and sharpness. Oasis of the Zombies has more issues with its picture stability and the opening credits are shaky with tons of blurry shots of a continually appearing spider in its web and a painting that seems to be continually used as an establishing shot. There was also some serious banding in a scene featuring sun glare so bright you literally have to shield your eyes. I seriously doubt either film will ever look much better than what Redemption has issued here and fans of both directors should be extremely pleased — especially when it comes to Zombie Lake since it features far more of the expected T&A.

The audio on both features are PCM 2.0 French or English with English subtitles. Both have their issues with Zombie Lake still the better of the two. Watching both films back to back this comes as a surprise as Oasis was filmed after Lake and appeared to have a bigger budget, but apparently none of it was spent in the sound department which makes sense after learning that both films were filmed silent and all sound was added in post. One of the biggest concerns this causes is that neither film is in sync. On Oasis, the louder things got, the worse it sounded. Expect lots of harsh hissing and static. The only negative found during Lake was one scene where the film was completely out of focus with muffled sound. Clearly this can be chalked up to the source element seeing how both the picture and sound quality were affected at the same time.

The special features are extremely scant. Zombie Lake features more with an alternate English language version of the sexified opening credits; TV-edited versions of the opening sequence, and the volleyball splashdown where all the girls are now wearing panties, bras, or T-shirts; and English and French trailers for additional Rollin films including Zombie Lake, The Rape of the Vampire, Demoniacs, and Oasis of the Zombies. Oasis has even less featuring only trailers for itself, Zombie Lake, Female Vampire, and the double feature release of Exorcism/Demoniacs.

If you’re looking for a fun night to Mystery Science Theater a couple of films with some friends look no further. Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies are the perfect films for the “so bad they’re good” label. Zombie Lake is the more fun of the two, but a few lessons can be taken from both — the French appear to believe that zombies are a form of vampires or ghosts; French extras die hilariously; and we all get to now use the term “zombie knife fight.” Whether they’re worth the purchase price (both are $24.99 on Amazon) is a question of your love of bad cinema, the zombie genre, or if you happen to be a Rollin/Franco fan. A rental is a safe bet for both titles if you can find them, but I do know as far as the horror genre goes, I’ve seen way worse from newer productions.

Cover art courtesy Kino Lorber